Dear lord in heaven, it’s 2024 and we’re still talking about the fact that Glen Benton has an inverted cross on his forehead. This is not a knock on Deicide, by the way, as they have consistently recorded and toured seemingly nonstop since the early nineties, hence the new album Banished by Sin (Reigning Phoenix Music). No this is regarding a text message I received from an anonymous listener during my radio show, The Stress Factor (cheap plug), last week when I played “Trick or Betrayed.” 
“Glen Benton really does have a crucifix scar on his forehead,” he texted as if it were breaking news. Thanks, pal. Please keep me informed when you realize that King Diamond wears makeup on stage.
The point of the story is that I’m sure that this unnamed metal trivia aficionado will be stoked to know that Deicide has another album with songs titled “Faithless” and “Failures of Your Dying Lord.” The blasphemy is still strong with Benton it seems. But I, for one, have never been interested in Benton’s relationship with the man upstairs as long as the riffs were tight, and we were blessed with raging double-kick drums.
The first thing you need to know about Banished by Sin is that the guitar tandem of Taylor Nordberg and Kevin Quirion is not to be trifled with. It doesn’t matter what song you blindly jump into as you will collide headfirst with some very shreddy lead work. “Woke From God” should tell you everything you need to know about their unholy alliance, plus you get the added benefit of Steve Asheim putting in an absolute shift behind the kit. Asheim again destroys on “A Trinity of None” with volleys of blasts and kicks standing in lockstep with the ever-changing rhythm guitars.
Some will complain that Deicide isn’t leaving their comfort zone here musically, but are we looking for them to reinvent themselves at this stage? Not really. However, Banished by Sin would’ve benefitted by trimming a couple of songs and fleshing out the remaining numbers.
This should certainly keep the outdated trivia crowd happy.
Buy the album here:
https://www.deicideofficial.com
8 / 10
HANS LOPEZ